Downtown Monolith Breaks Ground

What's currently the abandoned Intel parking garage shell began its transformation into the future 360 Condominiums today. Once complete, the 44-story, 580-ft-tall mixed-use building at Nueces and Third (360 Nueces Street) will be taller than Frost Bank (515 feet), though still not as high as the future 675-ft-tall slab of glass at Fifth and Congress.

"This type of urban infill, transforming abandoned spaces into functioning residential and retail units, is exactly what downtown Austin needs to continue to develop into the vibrant urban core of the city," said Austin Mayor Will Wynn at the groundbreaking ceremony today. "We're excited to see downtown living becoming a more and more attainable reality."

360's list of amenities and features is impressive, to say the least. From a press release issued by joint developer Novare Group earlier today, it'll sport such things as:

Sleek, contemporary architecture with a lighted glass spire facing Town Lake, limestone accents at street level and decorative metal panels.
Inside, each unit will include spacious layouts, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, kitchens with granite and stainless steel finishes, 10-foot-tall ceilings, ultra-high-speed Internet access, TV monitors in elevators, 24-hour concierge services and a prominent lobby featuring a virtual art gallery that digitally displays art on plasma screens.
A resort-style amenity deck, complete with a full-sized pool that features an outdoor living room with a fireplace, cabanas and outdoor grills
An upscale fitness center with advanced cardio equipment with West Austin views
A social center that includes a kitchen, Internet kiosks, and a plush entertainment area featuring plasma screen TVs; and lush landscaping.
432 condo units
13,500 square feet of street-level retail space

Currently marketed under the slogan "Life Surrounds You," 360 will begin accepting reservations later this year and allow residents to move in towards the end of 2007. Prices for one-bedroom units start at under $200k; two-bedroom units start at under $300k.

[360 Condominiums' Website]

* Photo from website

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By Allen Y Chen in News on June 20, 2006 3:51 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

garret

seattle is a pretty nice place, i can't say that much for dallas. i'd much rather see people crammed into condo highrises than sprawling out to the hillcountry and paving over the aquifer recharge zones. urban density helps preserve greenspace as long as the city govn't does it's job to restrict development in sensitive areas - then we all win since greenspace and springwater is really what makes austin special. otherwise, yeah... alot like dallass.

monkeyangst

They took out a moontower? I thought those were historical landmarks or something. Can they do that?

Al

What didn't make the news is the removal of the old Moontower from the corner of that lot at 4th. Where did it go, is it coming back?

austingal

I gotta say - I love urban density & a strong transit system to support it! But, I can't wait until downtown is overbuilt & has a few years of revenue on the books so regular people like me can afford to live downtown!

These astronomical prices only appeal to a certain group and leave out many of the people who have been here since the beginning and helped make Austin the cool place it is today (or was yesterday depending on your outlook).

I would like to see more development like in Portland Oregon where the local government works to make all neighborhoods diverse & available to all walks of life.